Chapter 33: Miami Training Camp.
Wade's training spot was at an indoor gym in Palm Beach, Miami.
Through the large windows, you could see palm trees swaying in the wind and the beautiful Miami beach — a very comfortable environment.
Inside the gym, besides Wade, there were also Bosh, Haslem, Chalmers, and James Jones. Apart from Bosh, the rest were all Miami Heat players. As for Bosh, his agent was also Thomas, and being from the 2003 draft class, he naturally had a close relationship with Wade.
There were also a few trainers on-site.
When Han Sen arrived, Wade was chatting with a middle-aged man wearing glasses. Seeing him, Wade paused the conversation and called out, "Look who's here!"
As Han Sen walked over, Wade reached out and gave him a hug.
"I heard about number 77. You're amazing bro," Wade whispered in Han Sen's ear during the hug.
No negative fan points were generated by the system; Wade genuinely thought he was awesome.
For basketball players, communication naturally happens on the court.
After a brief introduction, a few of them started warming up with some shooting and then jumped into a 3-on-3 half-court game.
The players at this gym were stronger than those in the summer league, but he had improved through the summer league and could handle the intensity.
After several rounds of alternating teammates, the group gathered on the sidelines to rest and chat.
"Your defense hasn't improved much," Wade was blunt as ever.
Previously, Han would've taken Wade's words as him being sharp-tongued, but after the summer league, especially the two games against the Kings, his mindset had changed.
Confrontation is the foundation of technique, like the base of a pyramid. Though his defensive technique had improved, his physical confrontation skills hadn't kept up. This was especially noticeable when facing someone as physically dominant as Wade, who made it clear that Han's defense needed work.
That might be the reason he hadn't yet reached the [Star Catcher] skill threshold.
"I'm planning to bulk up and work on my physicality this summer."
Wade's eyes widened in surprise. Han Sen had found the right direction.
"Do you have a plan?"
"I'm aiming for 100 kilograms," which was the same weight as Evans.
Wade himself was also currently at 100 kilograms.
"Young man, I'd advise against that," someone nearby chimed in.
He turned to see it was the middle-aged man Wade had been talking to earlier.
It was strange — this man seemed familiar, but he was sure they had never met before.
"Oh, I forgot to introduce him. This is Tim Grover, a friend of mine," Wade explained.
Tim Grover?!
Han Sen was shocked.
Tim Grover was Michael Jordan's personal trainer and could be considered the pioneer of private trainers.
As a fellow trainer, he was well aware of his name, but what surprised him even more was how young Grover looked. In the past, when he occasionally saw him in the news, Grover had been an older man with gray hair.
"Why do you say that?" he asked.
Despite his shock, he didn't automatically assume Grover was right just because of his reputation.
Sure, Grover was the pioneer of private trainers, but that was only because he was the first to take the leap. The profession of trainers had evolved since then and had become much more refined in Han Sen's time.
For instance, the old belief that "shooters shouldn't build muscle because it affects shooting accuracy" had been debunked in his era.
The prime example was Steph Curry, whose upper body strength increased significantly in the latter half of his career without any detriment to his shooting.
The key is in muscle memory. Getting stronger just means adjusting to the new muscle memory.
"It's because your body wouldn't be able to handle such a large weight gain in a short time," Grover said, which caught Han Sen off guard. But he still didn't fully agree with him.
Someone like Ben Simmons, who gained 15 kilograms in one offseason, might struggle physically, but he was only aiming for a 7-kilogram gain.
"So, what weight do you think is appropriate for me?" Han asked.
"I don't know," Grover replied.
"You don't know?" he was confused. Why offer advice if you don't know?
"Every player has an optimal weight- it's something the player needs to discover for themselves."
He was left speechless. Grover was starting to feel like one of those old-school tricksters — the kind that spout vague principles but leave the real answers for you to figure out.
Especially considering Grover's age, the more Han Sen looked at him, the more suspicious he became.
"You could try increasing by 5 pounds at a time. If after two or three months your body doesn't show any negative reactions, you can add another 5 pounds," Grover continued, perhaps sensing the skepticism.
That's too slow, he thought. At Grover's pace, it would take 6 to 9 months to reach 100 kilograms, and by then, the season would have already started.
If he tried bulking during the season, he wouldn't have enough time to adjust to the new muscle, and his shooting would indeed suffer.
"I'll give that a try," He said with a smile.
Although he didn't agree with Grover's advice, out of respect for Wade's friend, he decided to go along for now.
For the next two months, from mid-July to mid-September, Han Sen trained with Wade in Miami.
During that time, he successfully bulked from 93 kilograms to 98 kilograms.
He didn't abandon his goal but instead broke it down into stages, as gaining weight also required time to adapt to the new muscle memory.
His plan was to hit 100 kilograms before the season started without affecting his shooting accuracy.
The biggest impact of gaining weight was that his defense against Wade had clearly improved. While his mobility had slightly decreased, it was still within an acceptable range.
By the time the training camp was almost over, he finally felt he was reaching the [Star Catcher] skill threshold.
This was a huge milestone for him.
During the summer, the Cavaliers hadn't stopped strengthening their backcourt lineup.
They signed Anthony Parker, a 34-year-old experienced shooting guard known for his defense and for shooting over 43% from three in two of his three seasons with the Raptors.
They also signed Jamario Moon, nicknamed "The Moon Man." Moon had been a starter ever since joining the league, and last season, he averaged 7.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.1 steals in 25 minutes while shooting 35.5% from three.
Including Delonte West and Daniel Gibson, who were already on the team, the competition for Han Sen in his rookie season was intense.
But now that he had reached the [Star Catcher] threshold, he had a good chance of standing out from the rest.
Before the training camp ended, Wade pulled Han Sen aside for a private session.
It became clear from the roster at Wade's camp that he had an agenda.
After losing in a Game 7 to the Hawks in the first round last season, the Heat players were all eager to prove themselves.
Especially Wade, who had a career-best season and couldn't accept the outcome.
That might have been the real reason Wade invited Han Sen to the camp and brought in Grover as well.
He wanted to push his own limits to lead the Heat further.
Han Sen, having bulked up and raised his defensive level enough to challenge Wade, was helping him push those limits.
And in return, Wade wanted to give Han Sen something back.
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